Flight Attendants' Jobs Illustrate
Clash of Perception and Reality

It should be a dream job. Free travel. Flexible schedules. Glamorous destinations. In reality, the job of a flight attendant has never been harder, or so full of disappointments and anxieties.

The clash of perception and reality has rarely been so apparent as in the aftermath of the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800, the worst in aviation history for flight attendants, according to TWA's in-house union.